Ok, yesterday was a big day of writing for me. I wrote over 5,000 words in total on various writing projects. I was determined to get part 5 of Space Fall out at all costs. Eventually I finished part 5 and it came out at ~4,250 words. I actually wanted it to be longer, somewhere in the 6,000 word range. However, it was getting close to midnight and I decided to compromise on the mental plan I had for the outline of my book. I had planned for it to be 10 parts at 1,500 words each, yet I’m now at part 6 and it’s already 11,000 words! This phenomenon happens to me often when I am writing, often enough that I’ve started to give it a name: narrative creep. It’s when a story that’s simple enough in the planning stages takes on a life of its own and starts growing, possibly exponentially. While other writer’s complain of writer’s block, my biggest concern is never knowing where to stop. I generally just want to keep adding to a story until it’s oversized and bloated. I don’t know if anyone else has this experience? Continue reading “Writer’s Diary: Narrative Creep”